Life of a Trainer
by Devi Serene
Summary: Sophia starts her life as a trainer, believing that Gym battles and Contests are the way to go forward in it. But as she goes through her journey, she realizes what it is really about.
1. Birth of a Trainer

_A/N: Well after a long time of not uploading something, I present to you the first chapter of my Poké__mon fic. I was going to post this earlier but then the stupid spammer thing happened, and then my exams happened, but now I have the courage to post this. I want to continue writing this but it is mainly based on people's opinions about it, so I really do hope you like this._

_I want to give special thanks to Chaos Githzerai, for reviving my love for Pok__é__mon. Now, on with the show._

* * *

"I got my lunch, snacks…" Sophia did her final check, before heading out of her room and downstairs, flinging her grey rucksack over her shoulder. Her mother's Vulpix was lying in her usual position – on the sofa. Sophia wondered how on Earth her mother managed to win contests with that lazy Pokémon. But that didn't matter too much anymore.

"It's today, finally!" The young girl stretched her arms, feeling a surge of happiness that she hadn't felt in ages. "I get my own Pokémon today, isn't that exciting, Vulvi?" The Vulpix opened one eye, and looked annoyed that the thirteen-and-one-day year old had disturbed her sleep. The girl realised not to anger the Fox Pokémon and stepped away from her. "Mum, I'm going now; I don't want to be late for Professor Rowan!"

"Okay dear." Her mother called from the kitchen, "but Sophia…" she began as her daughter was about to step out the house, "be careful, and take this, it was the very first pokéball I got when I first started contests, and I'm sure you'll find it useful." It was a pearl white pokéball, a Premier Ball.

"Thanks mum." Sophia replied, putting the capsule into her backpack. She gave her mother a quick hug before finally starting her journey. Following her brother's footsteps. Stepping outside, Sophia took the all too familiar surroundings of Jubilife City. She was thankful that they lived in the Southern part of town, it was less busy there, and because it was in the south, it was closer to Sandgem Town. She just needed to head south, go past route 202, and she was there.

Letting out a deep breath, Sophia headed on. _I can't believe this. I've been looking forward to this for years._ Ever since Rob had left for his journey, Sophia had always wanted to follow him. She was meant to go yesterday, on her birthday, but the professor wasn't at his lab that day so she never got her Pokémon. But today was the day that her brother should start looking out for her. The journey to Sandgem Town took around two hours by foot, but Sophia didn't mind.

_This must be the place._ It was much bigger than any of the other places in Sandgem town, so it had to be it. There was a gate leading towards the large lab, and behind it was a windmill. That must make electricity for the place, she thought. Taking another breath, Sophia went past the gate and knocked on the door and went in.

"Hi there, you must be the new trainer!" An enthusiastic researcher greeted her, "but unfortunately, Professor Rowan isn't here…"

"What!?" Sophia had been promised that she was going to get her starter today. If she didn't get one soon, she would miss out on the contests and the gym battles. "Where is he?"

"One of his young assistants has found something that the professor found really interesting. But that doesn't mean that you can't get your starter."

Thank Arceus. She had already seen Rowan before, once with her dad and the other time with her brother, so she wouldn't miss out his speech or anything.

"So now's the time of suspense right? Follow me, please."

Sophia followed him towards a lab where three Pokémon were on the table, and one would be her partner for life.

"Which one would you like? Chimchar, the fire type? Piplup, the water type? Or Turtwig, the grass type?" The Pokémon and the researcher all looked at her expectantly.

"Erm…" Sophia managed to get out. She looked at the one closest to her, the Chimchar, and saw a big grin come on its face. She knew then which she would choose. "The Chimchar, please."

"Excellent choice!" The enthusiastic researcher exclaimed as the Chimchar jumped and hugged Sophia, making her giggle. "I can see you two bonding already. And you're quite lucky you know, that Chimchar is a female, fairly rare for the species. Have you thought what you're going to call her?"

"Chi." Was that first thing that came to Sophia's mind. It sounded good, and obviously Chi liked it too.

"And here is your pokédex and pokéballs." The researcher showed Sophia a tray with a red square-like thing and six small spheres which were red on the top and white on the bottom. "These are very useful devices, they let you store Pokémon no matter how big or small they are. And this one here is Chi's pokéball."

Sophia put Chi's ball and the pokédex into her pocket while the other pokéballs into her rucksack's side pocket.

"Thank you so much!" Sophia and Chi waved goodbye as they went out of the lab and on their way back to Jubilife City. "Say, Chi, how about some little practice?" The beach wasn't far away and there must be other trainers willing to battle there. And if not, they could always fight a wild Pokémon.

When they arrived at the sandy beach, just past a few houses, Sophia saw something in the distance, "Hey, look, is that an Azurill?" Sure enough, there was a Blue 'mon that from a far would look like two tiny dots. "You ready Chi?"

Chi happily replied by saying her name.

"Okay then, use Scratch!"

The Azurill saw the move coming and quickly jumped out the way.

"Chi, look out!"

But it was too late; the Azurill conjured bubbles from its mouth and fired them quickly at the female Chimchar, and because of the weakness, tossing her backwards into the sand.

"Are you okay?" A worried face came on Sophia but Chi stood up, not wanting to fail her new trainer in her first battle. Growling at the Polka Dot Pokémon, Chi ran towards it, jumping past another bubble attack and scratching it, making the Azurill fly backwards.

"Wow, well done!" Sophia ran over to Chi, giving her a hug and putting her on Sophia's shoulders.

"I should capture it." The idea just occurred to her. Sophia got out the pokéball that her mum had given her, today was looking up. First a great partner and now a cute one, which would be great for contests. _But I need to focus; I can't use her in a contest unless I capture her._ Sophia threw the pearl white pokéball; it went towards the Azurill… and straight past it, into the ocean. "No, no, no, no, no!" Sophia screamed: she had lost her mother's pokéball.

Maybe if she got in the ocean, found the ball then everything would go right again. The girl ran to the tide, frustrated that she had already failed. But wait: something was tugging at her leg.

It was the Azurill. "Do you want to join us?"

Sophia turned her head to Chi, "what do you think?"

Chi replied with a nod.

"Okay, let me just get a pokéball and…" _capture you_ didn't seem to make out. The Azurill had bounced up and used water gun, completely soaking Sophia and Chi. "But I thought!" What an annoying and mischievous Pokémon. It just showed how many different personalities Pokémon had. And as it bounced away, giggling to a sound of 'Azuzuzu', it was joined by another laugh.

"What's so funny?" Sophia turned to see a boy, not much older than her, laughing away at what must have been a pathetic scene. Trying to straighten her short blond hair, she stood up and waited for a reply.

"Oh, just the way that you show such inexperience." How rude. Sophia was obviously inexperienced; she had only had Chi for less than an hour.

"Well it was my first battle."

"Oh, you look a bit old for a new beginner." True, most trainers did start their journeys at a young age, but there wasn't a law requiring that they had to be ten to start. "Though I only started out a few weeks ago, so I'll let you off."

Sophia took a good look at whoever-he-was and noticed he didn't have many Pokémon, well at least not on show. He wore a sleeveless red jacket, a black backpack, a brown belt that showed three pokéballs and black baggy trousers. It was quite different to her own style; blue jeans, black top, white jacket and grey rucksack "My name's Sophia, what's yours?" She said, wanting to be nice.

"Matt." 'Matt' brushed his brown hair back, "So, Sophia, do you want a battle?"

"But…" She had only just started, and Chi had suffered from the attack from that Azurill too, "what do you think, Chi?" A smile came upon the Chimchar's face; she was ready for a battle anytime. "Okay, get ready!"

"Don't think I'll hold back because you're new to this," Matt called back, getting into position for the battle, he pulled out one of his pokéballs, making it grow larger and throwing it in the air, and a red light seemed to make a Shinx materialize.

"Wow, a Shinx! My brother has one of those." Sophia noticed a glare come from Matt, and quickly asked Chi to get ready. She paused, not sure who was going to attack first, and she decided to break the silence by shouting, "Chi, use scratch!" Chi began running towards the Flash Pokémon, her hand outstretched.

"Dodge it, Shinx!" The Pokémon obeyed and quickly jumped over the attacking Pokémon. "And counter with tackle!" Once again, he obeyed and hit the chimp Pokémon. Chi managed to embrace the attack, but still got knocked back a few steps.

The Shinx's eyes seemed to glow red for a second, and then it was glaring at Chi. Sophia could tell that Chi didn't like it – it put her off somehow. And then because of the leer, Chi let her defence down, she was scared of the electric Pokémon. "Tackle!" Matt shouted behind, and Shinx hit Chi full-on, making her fly backwards and hitting the sand, laying still.

"Oh no, Chi!" Sophia ran to her only 'mon, annoyed with her stupidity of allowing Chi to battle even though she had been injured by the Azurill. "Please be okay!" Thankfully, Chi stood up, clutching her arm, "What are you doing? Don't you want to rest?" Chi shook her head; it seemed her new partner was very persistent.

"You seem to have developed a bond with her," Matt said, seemingly amazed that Chi was still going, "pretty good for a trainer who doesn't know how to battle." A smirk crawled upon his face.

And what did he mean by that comment anyway? Sophia thought of herself as an alright battler, at least for a beginner.

Chi began to growl; she must have noticed the insult Matt had given Sophia. "Alright Shinx, finish this off with a bite." As the enemy Pokémon grew closer, Sophia wasn't sure what to say. Scratch never seemed to work, but that was the only move Chi knew. She had to say something, she couldn't let Chi down, after all the effort she put in. The Shinx must have been only half a metre away before Sophia managed to shout "Jump!"

The female Chimp jumped in the air, dodging the bite attack.

"And now, scratch!"

Chi's nails seemed to flash a bright white colour, and then they seemed to grow longer. Sophia felt excitement grow inside her, this was Chi's best attack yet, and it might mean her first winning battle!

"Shinx, behind you!" It was obvious that it was too late to try to doge the attack, so what would Matt do? Sophia felt for sure that she would win now. "Use bite!" Shinx's teeth gained the same bright light that Chi's claws had done, and the sureness in Sophia nearly died out. _I gotta remain positive, for Chi's sake if not my own_.

Claw and teeth met, and Sophia couldn't watch. She heard bodies meeting the sand and turned. Both Chi and the Shinx were past a trail of moved sand. "Chi!" Once again Sophia ran to her partner, hating herself even more. Why did she let her continue? This was a horrible start to her career as a trainer. "Take a good long rest, you really deserve it." She pulled Chi's pokéball from her coat pocket, pressed the button to make it large and aimed it at Chi, "return." The red light that she had seen Shinx come from erupted from the capsule, along with a high pitched sound and formed a straight line towards Chi, enveloping her small frame before the light returned in and ended.

Sophia saw that Matt's Shinx was also badly hurt, and that he had called him back too.

"I take back what I said before," Matt turned and approached Sophia, "you're a determined battler, same with Chi as well."

"Thank you." She stood up and shook Matt's outstretched hand, "though it was really Chi doing the work."

"No, it wasn't."

It was weird, it seemed Matt had changed his personality. Sophia thought he was a jerk at first but now, he seemed nice.

"But there are some improvements you could make."

"Fair enough, but just because I'm a new trainer doesn't mean I'm a bad one." She may not have _won_ her first battle, but at least she didn't lose it. "Well, I guess I might see you later. Good bye Matt." Sophia turned and started to walk north, if she wanted to get home, she would have to go soon. The two hour walk could take longer if she met with any other trainers or Pokémon.

"Hey wait!" Matt's running footsteps sounded, "Are you going to Jubilife City?"

"Yeah, I live there, why?"

"I'm going that way too." Matt paused, was he nervous? "And look – if we travel together, maybe I can help you catch a Pokémon."

"Sure, I would like that." Travelling alone with an injured 'mon wasn't the most appealing route to take anyway.

"Hey look at that!"

An hour and a half through the youth's journey to Jubilife City, Sophia had spotted a Pokémon she hadn't seen before.

"What is it?"

"Why don't you check your pokédex?" Matt replied, at first he didn't recognise it, instead of its usually green head and red horn, it was black and purple. It still retained its silvery body, and the looks gave it away but it would be better if Sophia checked anyway. It wasn't that normal for one of its kind to be out here though.

_Ralts, the Feeling Pokémon. Ralts uses the horns on its head to sense human emotions. It is said to appear in front of cheerful people._

Matt noticed Sophia taking in all the information, eyes sparkling at what must be her first entry to her pokédex. And if the entry was true, did that mean they were cheerful? Hardly. Despite both of them being glad to have company, they didn't really say a word to each other. Matt wasn't used to having company while he was travelling, so that must be the reason.

"It says this one is a female." Why was there disappointment in her voice? All these questions started to make Matt's head hurt. "But I don't want to make Chi face her; she's injured enough as it is."

"I'll capture her then," Matt didn't realise what he was saying. He didn't really want a Ralts on his team. And if he did, he would want it to be male so it could become a Gallade later. He did say to Sophia that he would teach her how to catch a Pokémon. "You should watch - learn how a master does it." A smirk came on his face. He was becoming his old self again.

His Shinx was still hurt after the battle with Chi, so now it was time for his partner to shine. "Show Sophia what you got Turtwig!" Matt threw the red and white sphere into the air, it opened and Turtwig materialized into the world. "Now, razor leaf!" Even though Turtwig had just realised where he was, he quickly complied. Its tiny leafs turned a bright green colour and Turtwig nudged its head in the direction of the attack and two leafs were sent spiralling towards the little Pokémon.

But then they stopped mid flight. A purplish aura type thing surrounded the leaves, and behind it, the Ralts concentrating hard. "Another razor leaf, quickly!" The original razor leaf had been sent back at Turtwig, but thankfully the new one stopped any damage.

Matt needed a strategy; if he failed in front of Sophia… that would be humiliating. An idea appeared in his head, it might not work but it was better than just standing there. "Turtwig, run towards Ralts." Once again, Turtwig complied. He was slow but sometimes that could be put to his advantage. "And now, withdraw!" The Tiny Leaf Pokémon, in mid run, withdrew into its soil-like shell, and the shell slid across the ground, going faster than he would have done before.

"Amazing!" Sophia shouted. She wouldn't have thought of using withdraw as a speed-increasing move. Turtwig hit the dark Ralts, making her move backwards slightly. Obviously she couldn't concentrate stopping a heavy object. Matt shouted for Turtwig to use razor leaf again, and this time hitting the Ralts, making it time to capture.

Matt hastily got a pokéball from his backpack, aimed, and threw the ball at the lying creature. It hit and was withdrawn into the capsule by the red light. It rocked to its side once, and again… before finally giving a click sound, suggesting a successful capture. "Yes!"

"What are you going to name her?" Sophia asked, she noticed that both Shinx and Turtwig were unnamed; it would be nice if the little Ralts got one.

"I don't know… Ralts?"

"But me and my brother always name our Pokémon. It makes them slightly more unique, you know."

Matt still had an unsure look upon his face. Did he have any imagination at all?

"How about… Serene?" Serene meant peace and Sophia doubted that she meant to hurt Turtwig when she redirected his attack.

"Umm, sure. Serene it is then." Matt put the pokéball onto his belt, "We better get going then."

"Wait!"

"What now?" There was something bouncing along. Something that looked like two blue balls, attached by a black zigzagged line. "Is that the Azurill?"

"Yes, it must be."

It looked at Sophia, and gave the giggle it gave before. _Azuzuzu._ Now it was pay back for hurting Chi. But then Sophia almost screamed from anger, Chi was still hurt and in no condition to battle. She wanted to capture Azurill though, but would… "Matt, please can I burrow Turtwig for two secs?"

"Wha?" Matt looked surprised with the question. It was the only solution though, and Turtwig was unhurt from the previous battle. "Okay, you up for it, Turtwig?" He nodded and Sophia said her thanks. Turtwig was strong, so this should be an easy battle. Turtwig jumped in front of Sophia, ready for action.

"Okay, Turtwig, use Tackle!" But he just stood there. Sophia turned to Matt for advice, but he seemed as clueless as her. "But if you don't want to, use Razor Leaf." And Turtwig went into his shell. Was that a weird sense of humour? He had acted as soon as Matt told him to do something, but now…

"It's been 'two secs'"

Sophia turned her head to see Matt nearly bursting in laughter again. At least he was trying to hold it in now. Sighing out the anger, Sophia tried once again, "Turtwig, could you use _any_ offensive move against that Azurill, _please_." Finally he obeyed her order. Sophia didn't really need to say anything afterwards; he conjured up three sets of razor leaves, before finishing the polka dot Pokémon with a hard tackle.

With the 'mon on the floor, she could capture it at last. But she couldn't if she couldn't find her pokéballs. She searched in her bag, but couldn't find any. She knew she took them from that scientist, and it wasn't as if she had used them all. She didn't even have that much in her bag, where could they be? On the bright side, this couldn't get any worse.

"Here." Matt sighed, tossing one of his. Sophia caught it, and felt her face go red. Not only did she have to burrow his Pokémon, she had to borrow his pokéball too. Tossing the ball, Sophia prayed that it would hit – and her prayer came true. After what seemed forever, the click sound finally came.

"I've captured my first Pokémon!" Sophia jumped into the air with excitement. Picking up the ball and deflating it, Sophia turned to Matt and Turtwig. "Thank you so much, you two!" Sophia smiled at Turtwig and turned her attention to Matt. Even though they had gotten off on a bad foot, they seemed to be friends now.

"So what's the name for the Azurill?"

It didn't take long to think, the little giggle seemed to remain in her head. "Azuzu." It seemed to come out more as a yawn, and Sophia looked at her pokétch. It was getting late, surprising how fast the time went by. "C'mon let's get going."

It wasn't long before they reached the suburban part of Jubilife City; the huge buildings were almost a sudden change from the trees that they were going through. "I guess this really is goodbye." Sophia gave a half-hearted smile as Matt waved back to her, while his silhouette disappeared into the distance. Was it the last time Sophia would see him? She sure hoped not.

Today had been a good day, even though it didn't turn out just as she suspected. She had got a great partner, Chi, as well as her first caught Pokémon. Then why was she feeling down? She clutched her necklace and looked up at the darkening sky. There was something moving up there, something pink and blue and yellow. Sophia looked at her necklace again; it was the same shape, a crescent moon. Maybe this was a good sign.

Well, whatever it meant, Sophia knew one fact – she was tired. And maybe the new day would share all the Pokémon secrets.


	2. Steps for a Coordinator Part: 1

_A/N: Yeah, I know. This update took forever. I could give any lame excuse but it was really because of my own damn laziness. But I said that I would carry on with this, and so I have. This isn't actually the whole of the chapter that I planned, but the more I worked on it, the more I began to dislike it. I know that it (most likely) needs more work to it, but I just really wanted to post it before I went on holiday. So... look forward to the next part of this chapter in two weeks (it's better than nothing, right?). _

_Disclaimer: I think I forgot to mention this last chapter but I do not own Pokemon, it belongs to Satoshi Tajiri._

* * *

As if this morning wasn't enough

Vulvi hated getting woken up, and her mistress' daughter had done it today… twice. First she was excited about getting her first Pokémon, and Vulvi thought that that would mean no more disturbances. But then she came home tonight, and from the darkness of the sky, it must have been quite late.

The girl had quietly opened the door, but upon seeing Vulvi's mistress, she returned to her noisy ways, destroying the peacefulness that was once around the living room. She was excited about her new Pokémon partner, as well as catching an Azurill. A Chimchar and an Azurill, they had to be one of the more _playful_ Pokémon didn't they?

Vulvi leapt of the sofa, there was no point trying to get to sleep now. She circled her mistress' feet, smelling the food that she was cooking. The girl must've smelt it too for she stopped talking about a boy that she met, and went on to ask for dinner. Vulvi sighed as her food bowl was refilled, and the Human's conversation led to her mistress' son.

He had taken a good friend of Vulvi's with her. The Growlithe that had once been used by her mistress in contests, before she decided to settle down with that scientist, had been taken by her son, as a goodbye present. It had been a couple of years since Vulvi and Grolit had been together, for longer than a day. They enjoyed the time they had when they were, but she felt empty without him. And it was only in her sleep that she saw him.

Vulvi walked away from her food, and jumped back on the sofa. Thinking of Grolit had destroyed her appetite. "What's wrong, Vulvi?" The daughter, Sophia asked. Vulvi answered with a glare. Did her feelings show out? If there was one thing Vulvi learned from contests was that showing her emotions often lead to defeat. Just like a battle she hated to remember.

--

"There's a contest in Jubilife City!?" Sophia did not believe it, sure there were occasional contests in this City, but she had no idea it was in two weeks time. She was planning on setting off to Oreburgh City, but maybe that could wait. After all, she could use the practicing time to get to know her Pokémon.

Taking the newspaper back indoors, Sophia quickly headed upstairs for her pokéballs. She knew only one could participate in the contest, and since Chi might still need recovering from yesterday, Azuzu was the new candidate. Azurills were known for their cuteness and playful personalities, so the contest should be as simple as a Psyduck.

With her white jacket put on, Sophia headed out for the huge dome in Jubilife City, where many events were held, but for now it would be the place to sign up as a contestant. The queues showed how popular the event was, and the smiles on both trainer's and Pokémon showed how they loved it.

"Just put your pokédex into one of these slots so it can register you." Sophia complied, inserting it into the slot. It went in and the screen above the attendant changed. "There, your ID information has been downloaded from your pokédex memory." A picture of Sophia showed up on the screen, along with various pieces of information.

Sophia's pokédex returned, along with an ID card. She could finally participate in the contest now. "…will now serve as your coordinator contest pass from now on. You can enter any contest in the Sinnoh region that you like with it."

"Wow, thank you!" Sophia collected her card and pokédex, the same feeling of excitement she had from yesterday coming up again. Her mum was a great coordinator; maybe she had what it takes to be great too.

"You'll also need these items; a ribbon case, a ball capsule, and the rule book of course." The attendant showed a white tray, which held a pink case, a blue translucent sphere, the rule book, and a small white envelope. Sophia knew what they were all for, and couldn't wait to try them out.

"Thanks so much!" Sophia turned and ran towards the exit, she knew the best place to practice; it was secluded so she didn't have to fear embarrassing herself or Azuzu. It was to the south of the city, past the trainer school that Sophia had spent a lot of time at since they moved here. After an alleyway past the crowds of people, Sophia arrived at her spot: the courtyard.

It was as deserted as ever, and even though it wasn't that big, it was a perfect place to practice. The dirty grey stone floor and the large brick walls surrounding was quite daunting at first, but Sophia got used to it. Jubilife City was actually a safe place to live, but you could never be too careful. It didn't matter too much now though, with her Pokémon at her side, she would be protected.

Shutting the thoughts out, Sophia placed the transparent blue sphere over Azuzu's ball. "Let's see what we got." Opening the envelope, Sophia found the seals that were given to all new co-ordinates'. A heart seal, blue bubble one, pink bubbles and a fluffy white cloud seal. Placing the cloud seal on the front of Azuzu's pokéball, Sophia hoped for the best.

"Come on out Azuzu!"

Sophia chucked the pokéball in the air, the familiar red light came out, but as the Polka Dot Pokémon materialized, something else did too. Clouds, the same size as Azuzu, flew into the air, and Sophia knew she had to make the most of the seal. If she wanted to win the ribbon, she had to impress the judges at the very beginning.

"Azuzu, jump, and use Water Gun!" The Azurill turned to her trainer, almost unsure of what to do, but then complied. Azuzu jumped above the clouds, and aimed downwards. Breathing in, she used all her might to fire a spray of water through the clouds.

Sophia saw the water come out of the clouds, but it wasn't what she wanted completely. The water gun was a bit too powerful, and didn't simulate a raining effect. "Good try, Azuzu!" Sophia walked towards the blue Pokémon, patting it on the head.

Azuzu turned away, not wanting the praise. Instead, Sophia saw her jump up again, performing another water gun. Sophia was shocked; it seemed Azuzu was a perfectionist then. The shock turned into a small giggle, remembering the day before when she met Azuzu. She seemed to want to be better than her opponents, and wasn't one to give up easily.

"You seem to have caught a good Pokémon there."

Sophia and Azuzu turned to see a familiar face. "Matt? What are you doing here?" This place was meant to be empty, and even though she would have thought Matt as a friend yesterday, she still felt angry when he laughed at her.

"I saw you go out the Contest Dome, so I thought that we could practice together."

"Wait, practice?" Did that mean he was going to join in the contest?

"Yep, I might as well use my contest pass for something." He shrugged his shoulders. Sophia didn't expect him to be someone who was for contests, but sometimes people can surprise you.

"Okay then, we better get to it then!" Maybe it was better if there was someone else there, that way they could both improve. And if they both got to the finals, maybe Sophia could get a rematch with Matt.

--

"Shinx, return!" Sophia did the same to Azuzu, they had practised different routines the whole day, and the sky was turning to a shade of orange, which was similar to the orange glow of a Charmander's tail.

Sophia let out a yawn, "The sky is so wonderful at this time." She looked up at the sky, and Matt approached, joining her. Sophia thought about yesterday, the image of the Pokémon in the night. Instead of the moon-like one, a flock of pidgy flew by. Still, it was a beautiful sight.

"What's that?" Sophia turned to Matt, who was asking about the pendant she was clutching.

"Oh this? It's from my dad." Sophia undid the chain, showing the crescent to Matt. "He gave it to me many years ago, after one of his researching trips."

"Where's he now?" Matt stared at the pendant that Sophia held. He seemed mesmerised by it. As if he recognised it somewhere.

"He's in the Kanto region, but in a couple of months he should be back." It was as if he was never here though. He wasn't there at her birthday this year, or many of the ones before. It was as if he didn't care. "Have you seen this pendant before?" Sophia asked, trying to hide the sadness she felt.

Matt didn't answer; he shook his head and turned to Sophia. "When I started my journey, I went to Canalave City and..." He paused, "I'm not too sure what happened. But that pendant seems familiar."

"I'm sure it will all come clear later. It's getting quite late now, so I better go home then." Matt's small story seemed rather strange, but he had told her parts of it, so that had to count for something. "Same place tomorrow?" They still needed to practice for the contest after all, and Sophia will give it her all.

Matt nodded and they headed back into the city. Just two more weeks before the contest, and after that, Sophia would set off to do her first Gym Battle, and maybe she wouldn't be alone.

– Two Weeks Later –

"Sophia, it's time to get up!" Sophia found it hard to open her eyes to the blinding light in her room. Her mother was standing in the doorway, the obvious culprit who turned on the lights. "You don't want to miss the contest, after all that practising you did."

"What?" Sophia turned and stared at her clock, "Why? It's only five past seven."

"As a coordinator, you need to make sure you and your Pokémon look the part. You wouldn't want to let Azuzu down because you didn't want to get ready."

Sophia got up, not wanting to argue with her mum. Stretching, Sophia checked her wardrobe, it was almost tradition that coordinators dressed for the performance, and she didn't want to be the one to break it. She took out a long black dress, which had a red outline of a butterfree on the bottom of it.

After dressing, Sophia tied her hair back with a red ribbon; she was quite pleased with the way she looked. Sophia thanked her mother as she walked down stairs, getting ready had taken longer than expected, maybe it was a good idea that she woke her up.

Slinging her rucksack over her shoulder, Sophia walked out the house, listening to the encouragement her mum was giving. "I'll be sure to watch you; I know you'll do me proud!" Smiling, Sophia let Chi out her pokéball. Her injuries were not that major from the battles two weeks ago, it only needed time to heal, and now Chi was back to her energetic self.

Unlike Chi, Sophia was reluctant to run to the huge dome that was where she would have her first contest. It was not just the dress that restrained her; she felt a slight queasiness inside her. But she couldn't risk being sick. She just had to carry on.

And it wasn't long till she reached the large double doors, which automatically opened revealing a loud mass of people. It seemed everyone had got here early. "So you made it then." Sophia glanced to the right; the familiar voice belonged to Matt.

"You didn't think I'd turn up?"

"I thought you would probably chicken out."

"Whatever." Sophia gave him a harsh glare. He could be a complete idiot sometimes, so Sophia learnt that she just had to ignore him. "Come on, let's get a seat."

Sophia waited with Matt, taking in everything from the other coordinators on the screen. A Drapion, Electabuzz, Vespiqueen, Illumise it seemed there was no end to the amount of Pokémon there, when suddenly the screen flickered. No. 87, it was Matt's turn. "See you later!" Sophia waved as he went down the corridor. She felt nervous for him; she was already shaking from anxiety for her turn.

Sophia saw Matt on the screen. "Here we have Matt from Canalave City! It's his first contest as a coordinator, so let's give him a warm welcome!" The audience gave their applause, and Matt took his place.

"Let's do it Shinx!" He called out, throwing the Shinx's pokéball in the air, "and use spark!" Shinx materialized with blue sparks coming out, and then he fired the spark at them, releasing a mixture of yellow and blue light.

"Wow, a remarkable entrance for a beginner!" One of the judges stated. That was good, a comment like that was always a great boost.

"Now, charge up your energy!" The blue and yellow light faded, revealing Shinx glowing, "and finish with a spark!" Shinx jumped up in the air, the electric around him giving him a golden aura. Using all his might, Shinx pushed the spark away, letting the aura-like energy fade into the open sky above.

Shinx landed next to Matt, and was welcome to a huge round of applause. A smile crept on Matt's face as he bowed and made his exit.

"Wow, you and Shinx were great!" Sophia called as she saw Matt enter, with Chi jumping towards Shinx. She expected Matt to say something but all that she heard was a simple 'heh'. "I guess I should get ready then," noticing that she was on soon, Sophia hurried out.

"You ready Azuzu?" She said to her pokéball, but it was barely audible as a huge crowd cheer came. The coordinator had a Wormadam, wrapped in a pink leaf-like coat. The coordinator bowed, her long black hair following. As she left the stage and went past Sophia, Sophia felt the queasiness from earlier come up again.

The young woman was beautiful, and the crowd loved her 'mon. She was probably a known coordinator; she must have had a long time practicing. Sophia stepped on the stage, suddenly feeling extremely noxious with everyone staring at her.

"Here is Sophia who lives here, at our very own Jubilife City! She's another new coordinator so let's make her feel at home." Sophia wanted to smile but she couldn't quite manage it. The pokéball in her hands was shaking, and she realised how nervous she was.

"Enter the stage, Azuzu!" Sophia barely managed to throw the pokéball up in the air, let alone shout. As Azuzu came out, four pink bubbles did too, circling her until she landed on the stage.

"Now, bubble!" The pink bubbles rose to the air as Azuzu conjured up new blue ones. As the stage began to be surrounded by the light spheres, Sophia shouted her next command, "use splash and tail whip on all the bubbles!"

Azuzu jumped up, and landed on the first sphere. Using her large blue tail, Azuzu managed to pop the bubble, before jumping onto the next one and repeating. As the last one went out, Azuzu fell and landed in Sophia's arms, and also welcomed by a large round of applause.

"A cute performance for a cute Pokémon!" One of the judges, Nurse Joy Sophia noticed, said.

"A good entry for a first-time coordinator!" Another judge stated, Sophia noticed him from the pokémon fan club. Giving a bow, Sophia exited the stage, her heart pumping faster than she thought it could. Now she understood how Matt was wordless, contests really took it out of you.

Sophia saw Matt waving to her as she entered the contestants' area. Everyone was anxious whether or not they were going to get into the quarter-finals. But they all seemed to have a smile on their face, no matter how much pressure there was on coordinators, Pokémon contests were still fun.

Chi jumped upon Sophia's shoulder, when the whole room suddenly went silent. Sophia and Matt turned their heads towards the screen; they were now announcing the winners of the first round. Eight faces appeared, as well as the sounds of cheering and disappointment. Sophia prayed that she and Matt had made it, and got cried of glee when she saw her picture.

But she didn't see Matt's. "I'm sorry…" Was all that Sophia could say to him. She felt bad that she had got through, while he didn't.

"Don't… don't worry about it. Contests were never really my thing anyway." He smiled, and Sophia turned back to the screen to see who she would be up against. A silver-haired teenager, probably around seventeen Sophia presumed. She didn't remember seeing his Pokémon though.

"Wish me luck!" Sophia called to Matt as she ran towards the stage. Now it was time to show how powerful Azuzu really was.


End file.
